In case you haven’t heard, right-wingers and religious zealots have worked themselves into a tizzy supporting Proposition 8, which would change the California constitution to say marriage is only between a man and a woman. There are even reports that Yes on 8 folks sent threatening letters to 30 companies who donated to No on 8. In the letter, Yes on 8 said that if the companies didn’t give them the same amount of money, they would publish their names.
Obviously not fearing a large-scale boycott from the Mormon Church, Steve Jobs and company have spoken out against Proposition 8. From Apple’s home page:
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.
Other major corporations who have publicly opposed Proposition 8 include Google, PG&E, Levi Strauss, and Clear Channel. If Yes on 8 folks want to organize a boycott, they’ll have to do it without Google’s search engine, Apple computers, or PG&E’s electricity and phone services. The No on 8 have no similar technological limitations, and have even issued a cheeky set of “I’m a Mac; I’m a PC”-style commercials.
—Steve Aquino and Jen Phillips
